The Scars of War
by Phoenix Ride
Summary: War has claimed Shuggazoom, and the threat of the Skeleton King loom like a dark cloud. Sparx is still suffering from guilt, and fears the Fire of Hate's return. What if it does? What will the Monkey Team be forced to do then? Will they be able to save Sparx a second time, or are they all destined to fall? Enjoy the story! Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1: A Single Spark

**The Scars of War**

 **By: Phoenix Ride**

 **Ch.1: A Single Spark**

In times of darkness, pressure can build until only a single spark can light the resentment burning within one's soul, bringing out endless destruction and rage. The Fire of Hate was the spark that lit up the red monkey's rage, unchaining the darkness that he kept bound, and causing him to move free on his dark desires.

Sparx shivered in memory of what he had done, to Nova, his team. All of Shuggazoom now had to pay for his mistake, because he couldn't control the monster within.

Wordlessly, Sparx sat down in his room, staring at his hands. Hands that contained the very weapon that could literally rip the other members of the Hyperforce apart. He had never realized how much control he had issued while using them before, being careful to tap into only low orbs of energy so the electricity wouldn't get out of control.

But the scary part was just how much power he could generate if really pushed himself to its limits. When the Fire of Hate consumed him, Sparx had delivered more power than he had ever dreamed. The staggering strength of the electricity was frightening, yet addicting with its strong taste.

Silently Sparx berated himself because there was a part of him that wanted to feel that kind of power again. Where he no longer had to hold back and worry about the safety of his team.

The recent fight with Mandarin hadn't helped improve Sparx's feelings either. Sparx was on a routine patrol with Quint and some other allies who had joined them in this war when they were ambushed and shot down by a formless assault.

Instantly, a battle raged, and Sparx found himself outside of his cockpit, beating up formless left and right. As the battle rolled on, it looked like the good side stood a pretty good chance. Sparx was about to leave his own fight zone so that he could help his friends, when suddenly a sinister voice spoke out from behind him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Heh, heh, heh" laughed the voice " Still playing the hero huh Sparx?"

"Mandarin!" Sparx growled, turning back to glare at the orange, skeletal monkey as he activated his magnets for the coming fight.

Quickly, before Sparx could even think of firing a shot off, Mandarin jumped out and kicked the red monkey hard in the head, making Sparx fall down, landing in the dirt.

"Relax my brother" said Mandarin calmly, his red eyes gleaming with wicked pleasure " I have no need to fight an ally of the Skeleton King."

"I am not his ally!" Sparx yelled as he stood up, eyes narrowed with rage.

"Ah" said Mandarin " Then who pledged himself to serve him? Who's responsible for starting this war? And who almost tore his dearest Nova apart?"

"Enough!" Sparx yelled, firing his Manga Bolt Beam Splitter at Mandarin, which the orange monkey deftly dodged.

Avoiding the dangerous red bolts of energy, Mandarin twirled his way behind Sparx's back, and placed his bone claw lethally on the red monkey's back.

"You always were the most powerful Sparx" said Mandarin, close to his brother's ear " but you chose to withhold your strength instead of harness it. On the evil side you had no limits, it could happen again."

"Never!" said Sparx, twisting around to face Mandarin with a glare. The orange monkey withdrew his claw.

"Don't be so sure brother" said Mandarin with a grin " That fire might as well still be burning inside of you, ready to turn you evil any second you lower your guard. Perhaps if you had accepted my offer long ago, you wouldn't have had to suffer this fate. Go on and live the rest of life in fear Sparx. Fear for the monster you can become."

Before Sparx could even respond to Mandarin's statement, the sound of reinforcements soared in to help in the fight, and Mandarin retreated from whence he had come. But, before the orange monkey completely vanished from sight, his red eyes locked with Sparx's orbs, and evil smirk plastered on his face.

"This isn't over Sparx," and Mandarin left.

Later, after the patrol unit was checked over for injuries from the battle, Sparx walked out of Gibson's lab and headed straight for his room, barely saying anything to the others as he walked by. He wasn't really in the mood to talk right now.

Mandarin's words had flared up all of the guilt and fear boiling within Sparx, and made it flow out through all of his brain.

"It's my fault!" Sparx yelled in his mind " It's all my fault!"

Bam, Bam, Bam! Suddenly sounded a pounding upon Sparx's door.

The red monkey was immediately ejected from his negative thoughts as the door swished open and Otto stepped in.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked the green monkey concerned.

"Never felt better," whispered the evil voice inside of Sparx's mind. Sparx quickly shook his head to clear it out.

"Ugh!" said Sparx, grabbing his head "I'm fine Otto….just fine,"

Otto didn't seem like he believed that, but the green monkey was willing to let it slide.

"Okay" said Otto cheerfully, walking out " the others are waiting down in the briefing room. Soup's on, so hurry fast."

As the door once again swished closed, Sparx allowed a small smile to grow on his face. Time to go back out there and fake the mask…be as normal as he possibly could be.

A brief flash occurred as Sparx's head turned to glance at mirror to his side, making the red monkey gasp in shock. For a moment, Sparx could have sworn he had just seen the evil version of himself glaring back at him, burning through black eyes.

Sweat started to pour down Sparx's fur as the red monkey breathed hard to regain his shattered nerves.

"Normal" Sparx breathed out loud "…right."


	2. Chapter 2: Flickers of Worry

**Ch.2: Flickers of Worry**

Meanwhile, down in the briefing room, the rest of the Hyperforce waited patiently for Otto to return with Sparx, the tantalizing scent of chicken noodle soup tempting their noses with its strong aroma.

Good food was so hard to come by nowadays, especially with war. In order to make sure they had enough to eat and survive, the Hyperforce had helped set up several secret food storage units, so that they could push on even through hard times.

Nova peered over at Antauri who no longer possessed a real appetite, because his fully robotic body provided all of the energy he needed. However, despite this fact, he still consumed food like the rest of the team, the magic of his regenerated soul compensating for the fact that he was no longer a living being.

Turning her eyes away from Antauri, Nova's mind focused back on the dark times, where they had nearly lost the second in command forever.

Antauri had risked everything, throwing himself down as a living sacrifice to stop Skeleton King and the Dark One Worm for good. A sacrifice that ended in vain.

Chiro went crazy after that, looking for some way he could revive Antauri's soul. Nova couldn't blame Chiro for his actions, the wise, black monkey had been like a father figure to him, but he needed to realize that was dead couldn't simply be brought back to life.

Oh how wrong Nova was. How wrong they all had been!

Chiro's faith that the black monkey could somehow return, lead to Antauri's resurrection in his new, silver form. Since that day, Nova wished that sometime she could show that same kind of faith with someone she loves.

The swoosh of a tube sounded as Otto reentered the room, and padded over to join his friends at the dinner table.

"Is he coming?" asked Chiro, looking at the green monkey with hope.

"Yeah" said Otto, unassuringly " I think he is."

Everyone in the Hyperforce looked down in disappointment. Since the war had first started a few months ago, Sparx had never been the same. The red monkey had lost his good humor and optimism, keeping distant from the rest.

Even though he tried to fake himself away with a big smile, the others could see easily right through the façade.

Chiro missed the best friend he used to hang around with, playing videogames and laughing at each other's jokes. Gibson also missed the occasional verbal jibes Sparx would throw his way. Heck, even the title 'Brainstrain' would be more than welcome right now.

As for Nova, what she missed, was the one thing she never thought she could stand, Sparx's flirts.

Ever since she had confessed her love, it felt like Sparx was avoiding her like the plague. He would still be there to help whenever Nova needed rescue from danger, but it was like this giant rift had opened between them, preventing anything else from going on.

He never could look her in the eyes anymore, and just then, a tube swooshed as Sparx came down. The look on his face seemed happy, but beneath it, Nova could sense it was just as dire as ever. She just wished that Sparx could finally forgive himself so things could be normal again.

"Normal" Nova scoffed in her mind, frowning at the foolishness of the thought "right."


	3. Chapter 3: In Grips of the Soul

**Ch.3: In Grips of the Soul**

Once the meal was done, the sun started to set, and all of the Hyperforce members retired to their rooms for a good night's sleep.

In Antauri's room, the silver monkey was in the middle of his evening meditation when the door to his room swished open allowing someone else to enter the space. Even though the visitor did not speak, Antauri didn't have to turn around and look to guess who it was; Sparx.

Deep in his heart, Antauri knew the red monkey would come, especially after the look Sparx had given him earlier back in Gibson's lab.

After having his wounds treated from the ambush, Sparx shot Antauri a quick glance, which the silver monkey quickly recognized, and nodded to Sparx, showing that he understood. This silent communication between Sparx and Antauri had lasted for a long time now.

Whenever something seemed to be deeply troubling one of them, both served the purpose to quell one another's fears, making the burdens on their hearts a little lighter to bear.

Antauri's mind flash-backed for a second on his and Sparx's western encounter during Evil Ages, where the silver simian had been appointed as sheriff, and Sparx was his loyal deputy. Though at the time it seemed strange, the memory of that small event managed to paint a ghost of a grin on Antauri's face.

In a way, he did see Sparx as a capable choice when looking for his own second in command. The pain that followed soon after Mandarin's betrayal though, had put to much stress on them all, and concern for leadership ranks simply faded to dust.

Now, under the guidance of a new leader, the Chosen One no less, Antauri, after having observed how his team behaved a bit more, finally decided on who worthy enough to take on the title after second in command.

Nova would make a great leader one day. Despite her fierce temper, the yellow monkey had the ability to keep her calm and focus, even during the most serious situations of battle. And even though that ability nearly seemed lost when they had to fight Sparx, who was under the influence of the Fire of Hate, she still had the strongest chance to lead the team.

During the journey through the Savage Lands, Gibson and Sparx had quite the battle with each other on who took over after Antauri's command, and the silver monkey found it amusing when he told them it was Nova that he chose. The looks of shock upon their faces were priceless, and Sparx's shock was the most memorable of all.

"If only he knew how close he had come to being named my second in command," thought Antauri in his mind.

But, given everything that has happened now, with the guilt of the war hanging on his soul, Antauri doubted that Sparx ever dreamed about leading the team again. The horrors of his past actions had crippled Sparx in a severe, emotional way. And until those wounds healed, the Sparx that Antauri once knew, would never be the same.

The silver monkey's mind floated back to reality as he heard Sparx sit down behind him. Turning slowly towards his friend, Antauri looked at Sparx with his deep, blue eyes, and cautiously started to speak.

"You wish to talk?" he asked.

Sparx slowly nodded, not really knowing how to begin.

"Is the offer still open?" the red monkey finally asked.

"Yes" said Antauri, knowing instantly what Sparx meant " Shall we begin?"

"Yes," Sparx nodded, and then copied Antauri's meditation pose.

Meditation had never been one of Sparx's strong suits in the past. He was more than glad to leave all of the mystical mumbo jumbo to Antauri, who was at least wise enough to control all of that power in the first place. Magic was a thing he would like to deal with as little as he could.

But magic was the exact same reason he was here right now. That Fire of Hate had changed him, corrupted him, bringing forth an evil Sparx never knew he had. Nightmares haunted him whenever he tried to sleep, growing worse since his battle with Mandarin recently ago.

Antauri had caught him one time when the nightmares haunted him, and offered up meditation as a possible means of calming down his fears.

Sparx had refused the offer then, but he felt that he was ready now. Ready to fight off all of the fear and guilt that plagued him each day and night.

And with that, the meditation session begun, leaving two monkeys hovering alone, sitting silent in the dark.


	4. Chapter 4: Betrayal of Trust

**Ch. 4: Betrayal of Trust**

Red eyes watched with grave splendor as dark clouds covered over what once were blue skies above. The power of the Skeleton King's darkness was astonishing to say the least, more than Mandarin could ever dare dream.

To think, years ago, he would have fought alongside with his teammates to stop this madness, now he was helping to create it, letting evil spread its arms to the far corners of the world.

"Hmph" Mandarin mumbled to himself " those fools simply had no vision."

At first, Mandarin had been proud with a being a hero, basking in all the applause and cheers the great people of Shuggazoom were willing give in honor of their heroes. But then, after their final defeat of the Skeleton King, something happened that changed the view in Mandarin's mind.

The orange monkey could remember it like it was only yesterday…

* * *

 _Dark clouds shrouded over the desert valleys of Shuggazoom, hovering over the towering canyon rocks that pointed towards its veil like spears. This eerie atmosphere is what would serve as a final battleground for them all; the Hyperforce and the Skeleton King._

 _"Ha!" laughed the undead monarch glaring at the Hyperforce, bruised and beaten, but still maintaining his pride "You pathetic primates. Even if you win this battle, you will never ensure my defeat."_

 _"We'll see about that!" said Mandarin, glaring up at the Skeleton King as he fought through his injuries to stand. "Monkey's Mobolize!"_

 _With that said, the other members of the Hyperforce stood up, and followed their leader's plan to attack._

 _"Take this Skeleton King!" said Sparx, jumping in first "Mango Ball Blazer!"_

 _"Boom Boom Wake Up!" said Nova._

 _"Laser Lance Drill!" said Gibson._

 _"Whirling Destructo Saws!" yelled Otto._

 _"Double Monkey Mind Scream!" said Mandarin and Antauri together, and all of their attacks hit Skeleton King in one shot._

 _"Nooo!" cried the Skeleton King as he burned over in terrible pain, stumbling backwards towards one of the infamous cracks known to be in the desert valleys, rumored to lead to the Underworld itself._

 _With one fatal step, the Skeleton King plunged right over the edge of the crack, and fell deep into dark. The Monkey Team paused to stare down into the hole, wondering if the foe they had fought years against was finally destroyed._

 _"Did we win?" asked Otto, unsure._

 _"Maybe" said Mandarin, unable to confirm for his green friend " if the rumors about these cracks are true."_

 _"That the ancients once used them for mystical purposes believing there was another realm deep below Shuggazoom" scoffed Gibson with his scientific huff " I highly doubt that."_

 _"Do not be so quick to doubt the possibility of magic Gibson" said Antauri " there are many mysteries in the universe that have yet to be explained."_

 _"Well I only see one explanation here" said Sparx " Ol' Bone-Breath is now gone, and we're not celebrating in victory."_

 _As Sparx spoke, he turned his back to crack where Skeleton King fell, and didn't notice as an eerie, talon-like claw suddenly emerged from the ground, and grabbed onto his tail._

 _"Huh? Aah!" yelled Sparx, as he was then forcibly dragged into the abyss below._

 _"Sparx!" Nova cried worriedly as she watched her friend disappear._

 _Mandarin instantly reacted, plunging down into the crack in order to save his young brother's life._

 _It turned out that the Skeleton King wasn't as defeated as the monkeys had originally thought. When the undead lord fell, his skeletal claws had acted like hooks, allowing him to dig into the earth around him, and completely stop his fall. Since all the monkey team could see from above shadows, they couldn't see that he was still alive._

 _He had lured them all closer to the crack with his false death, only so he could reach up and drag one of their own for the ride._

 _Mandarin's eyes narrowed as the Skeleton King laughed, holding the helpless Sparx tight in his grip._

 _"Let me go!" Sparx yelled, struggling for release._

 _Ignoring the red monkey's pleas, the dead lord gazed up at Mandarin, an evil grin growing on his skull._

 _"Ah, Mandarin" said Skeleton King to the orange monkey " you have been my favorite foe to date. But even though you and your team sealed away most my magic, I'm still able to pull a few tricks. Say farewell to your dear brother, and your life as well!"_

 _With that said, the darkness of the of the crack suddenly lit up, casting a red and furious light. Both Sparx and Mandarin were stunned by its evil, feeling the power as wisps of black darkness emerged, sending shivers through their spines._

 _"So long my friend," said Skeleton King as he willingly let go of the wall._

 _"No!" cried Mandarin as Skeleton King fell, taking Sparx along with him._

 _"Meh!" suddenly came another yell, taking everyone by surprise._

 _Out of nowhere, Antauri appeared, and slashed Sparx out of the Skeleton King's vicious claws._

 _Growling in anger, Skeleton King immediately stopped his fall again, and grabbed onto Sparx's tail. The red monkey screamed over the extreme pain, but this time it did not last for long._

 _Diving in with his laser lance sword, Mandarin jetted down and plunged the blade right through the Skeleton King's chest, reveling the dead lord's screams of pain as he finally let his brother go and continued plummeting to his doom._

 _"Let's get out of here," said Mandarin, and he and Sparx, and Antauri fled back up to the surface as Skeleton King vanished into the red light._

 _A great burst of energy exploded as soon as the Skeleton King hit, and that energy erupted after the monkeys as they finally escaped from the crack and made it back into the light._

 _Avoiding the deadly force behind them, Mandarin his team stood and watched as the red light lasted for a moment, and then disappeared, taking all of the darkness the Skeleton King had conjured along with it._

 _The great war was finally over, the Hyperforce had won._

 _Cheers rang out through Shuggazoom as the citizens praised the monkey team for saving their lives against a great threat. All of the monkey team members absorbed that adoration in like a sponge._

 _For many years to come, Mandarin and his team would be seen as heroes among the land. However, as time passes, things change, and the old generation dies out, replaced by new minds that can be easily manipulated to other ways._

 _Little known to the Hyperforce, a secret society had formed during the Skeleton King's evil reign, worshipping the overlord, and despising the heroes who had sent him to his doom._

 _The Skeletal Circle, as they called themselves, had plans to make the monkeys pay._

 _One by one, the Circle members spread rumors and lies about the Hyperforce, turning the citizens against them, and making them ungrateful for their efforts._

 _Some of the members of the Hyperforce took this newfound hostility with a grain of sand, but underneath his orange fur, Mandarin was boiling with rage._

 _He despised how Gibson, Nova, and Antauri managed to ignore the clear hostility being focused upon their group. Otto was mostly confused by why the people suddenly seemed to stop liking them, while Sparx shared Mandarin's rage._

 _All that hard work to save the citizens of Shuggazoom from a big threat and for what? To be treated like this? It wasn't fair for them to be treated this way!_

 _Antauri secretly became worried for his orange and red teammates. The more people's hostility grew, the madder Sparx and Mandarin seemed to become. Dark clouds could be seen coming up on the horizon, and the black monkey feared the storm they would bring._

 _Finally, one day, Mandarin had had enough at being yelled at and hated, and called in Otto and Sparx to meet in his room later night. Quickly he discussed the plan that would make sure that the people of Shuggazoom would appreciate its heroes once more._

 _Sparx was ready to agree with the plan, while Otto was more reluctant to agree._

 _Confident now that he would have a couple of loyal allies by his side, Mandarin dismissed his two teammates and rested his head to prepare for the next day, where his plan would come to fruit._

 _The next morning, Sparx was greeted with a surprise as Nova appeared in front of his door, her face set with an angry frown._

 _"Nova!" said Sparx shocked " What are you doing here?"_

 _"Sparx we need to talk…about Mandarin" said Nova slowly " Can't you see that he's going crazy Sparx? I know that he's your brother and all but…,"_

 _"He just wants to make sure we get recognized around here that's all," interrupted Sparx "The city has gone nuts Nova, thinking that we're the bad guys."_

 _"I know that Sparx," said Nova " but Mandarin's plan isn't worth it. We weren't made to be appreciated, just to be the heroes we are."_

 _"Well it sure feels nice sometimes," grumbled Sparx, then looked up at Nova's angry face to know that he immediately said the wrong thing._

 _"If that's the way you feel about it, fine!" the yellow monkey ranted "To think of why I bothered at all."_

 _And with that last sentence, Nova turned around and left, leaving Sparx boiling around with indecision and guilt._

 _As he walked around the ship, the feelings didn't exactly go away. Passing by Gibson's lab, the red monkey was suddenly stopped by Otto who sometimes assisted the blue monkey in there._

 _"Sparx" the green monkey admitted, looking around nervously before he settled his voice "Mandarin came by, and took the thing, but I'm not going with you. Antauri overheard what we talked to Mandarin about last right, and listed a couple of good reasons on why I shouldn't go. I won't stop you if you decide to go ahead Sparx. Just know, I won't be there."_

 _With that said, Otto turned and also walked, leaving Sparx's mind swirling with indecision even more. Why was everyone so against this plan? Not like a little fame was a bad thing right?_

 _After mumbling it over for a few moments, Sparx finally made up his mind, and started making his way to exit the robot's neck. Mandarin was already up there, ready and waiting. It was time to move on with the plan._

 _Later, Mandarin and Sparx flew into the city, greeting the unwelcome crowd with a shock in order to make them listen, as Mandarin took on their curses in a final chance to calm them down._

 _"Citizens of Shuggazoom" Mandarin said to the crowd. " we are not your enemies. Why have you chosen to despise us? Had we not saved you from the wicked threat of Skeleton King…,"_

 _"Your team is all monsters!" a shout interrupted from the crowd._

 _"We never needed you and we'll never will!" shouted another._

 _Mandarin narrowed his eyes down in furious anger, and looked over to his brother who looked conflicted to being sad and angry all at once. Finally, the orange monkey spoke once again to the crowd, this time holding Otto's device in his hands._

 _"Well" Mandarin spoke savagely " if you will no longer think of us as your heroes, we will abide by being villains instead."_

 _With that said, Mandarin threw out the sphere, and a paralyzing light burst, making all of the flesh-covered citizens fall flat on the ground, helpless and writhing in pain._

 _Sparx was shocked at what the orb did, was this what Mandarin had planned all along?_

 _The shock on Sparx's face only grew, as Mandarin suddenly jumped down and singled out the poor soul who had called them 'monsters'. Within seconds, Mandarin's laser lance pierced straight through his heart, and the poor man fell down dead, bleeding out on the cement below._

 _"Mandarin!" shouted out an angry voice as Anautri and the other members of the Hyperforce arrived._

 _All of their eyes were narrowed and upset. They had seen what Mandarin had done all the way from the Robot's control screen, and had rushed over quickly with the goal to stop it._

 _Sparx watched wordlessly as Antauri's group and Mandarin engaged, not believing the sight as his still muttled for the poor soul Mandarin slayed. Was this away for them to gain respect? Paralyzing all of the people you were supposed to protect, and then threatening immediate death if any refused to turn your way._

 _Nova and Otto's words came back to haunt Sparx, as well as the other warning signs Sparx should have seen, broadcasting that his brother was going completely out of control._

 _"I should have listened to my team," thought Sparx, and then hissed as he saw Mandarin suddenly claw Nova hard in the side._

 _That was the final straw._

 _"Hey Mandarin!" said Sparx, suddenly drawing out his magnets " Magna Tingler Blast!"_

 _The electric bolts hit the orange monkey dead on, making him cry out in pain. Antauri smiled, while others looked shocked that Sparx was back to being on their side._

 _Mandarin growled as he fought off the attack, and turned to glare at his brother with narrowed eyes._

 _"You dare to betray me?!" shouted Mandarin " Shuggazoom was ours to rule together. These witless worms are nothing more but pawns, meant to submit to our will."_

 _"You have gone insane" said Sparx sadly " I won't let you hurt anyone anymore."_

 _Letting out a scream of rage, Mandarin blasted straight towards his brother, and started attacking him, mercilessly stabbing at Sparx from left to right._

 _Sparx countered, and tried to find the best way to defend, but was way outmatched by his older brother. Mandarin was the leader of their team. He had more experience than Sparx, and had mastered skills Sparx didn't even know._

 _Cuts stung all across of his metal plating as Sparx submitted to Mandarin's blows, his magnets ability forgotten as he prepared to die by his brother's hand._

 _Fortunately for Sparx, that's when Antauri and the rest of the team decided to step in; Nova, Otto, and Gibson pulling Manadrin away, while Antauri jetted Sparx out of Mandarin's reach._

 _Once Sparx was safe, Antauri quickly flew over to where the other three were holding their leader down, and activated one of his ghost claws, striking it right through Mandarin's chest._

 _The orange monkey gave out a startled yell of surprise, as he landed quaking, still alive on the ground. His inner machinery had been damaged to the point where it hurt, but was not serious enough where it could be declared a mortal wound._

 _Gibson quickly took advantage of this moment, and started to input the deactivation code, shutting Mandarin completely down. However, before the orange monkey completely shut down, Mandarin threw once last glance at his brother Sparx, and then glared at his whole team._

 _"You should have stayed and ruled by my side Sparx" said Mandarin " Everything the Hyperforce stands for is dead. You shall all be forgotten and despised, and you shall wish you had listened to me."_

* * *

Now, Mandarin was reborn and had a new purpose to serve, a new plan of revenge much more complicated than that petty squabble for admiration he had desired in the past. Now he only sought out complete control, and with Skeleton King's evil coursing through his heart, it was a goal that he intended to meet.

If the war was ever theirs to be won, they needed to make their enemies vulnerable and surrender, submitting themselves to their will. And there was no better target to focus on than the most guilt-ridden of all of the Hyperforce.

Sparx, his brother, the monkey who had started the war.


	5. Chapter 5: Darkness's Flames

**Ch.5: Darkness's Flames**

Sleep wouldn't come easily to Gibson that night. All of his attempts to rest and recharge were disturbed by the fact of the war outside growing worse, and the obvious tension building up in their team.

Sparx seemed to be getting more and more distant by the day, and his recent battle with Mandarin probably did nothing to help the cause.

Sighing in aggravation, Gibson slowly got up from his charger unit, and made his way over to his lab. Perhaps a few hours of solving complex, mathematic equations would help drull him back to sleep.

The lab appeared to be in the same condition it was always in; clean, spotless, and empty of the patients that had come to be treated here earlier afternoon. Weapons, both fully functional and half-made lined the countertops of the lab, preparing to be used once again for war.

Ah, how Gibson hated using the power of science for such dark and twisted means. But it was a sacrifice that had to be made in order to confront Skeleton King's deadly horde. A horde born of magic and destruction, pure evil and deceit.

There had been a time in Gibson's life when he didn't consider magic to have an even logical bone.

Despite the supernatural things their enemies were sometimes capable of, the blue monkey always sought for fact instead of fibs.

His mind was forced to change on one adventure though, when he and his team had to travel in order to stop the Dark One Worm.

Through the vile creature's own propulsion, the Super Robot had been pushed to this Halloween-like world, where demons and magic ruled the cosmic day. The most fascinating factor on this entire planet was the presence of a single book; the Grimoire, an ancient book of spells.

In that moment, Gibson had to push all of his logical aspects to the side, and believe for once for true magic to take hold.

Even though the book had proven very useful in the end, Gibson still stood by his skeptical nature and went back to science to prove facts.

The Grimoire, which had brought back as a souvenir from that Halloween-like world, now lay sealed away in Gibson's lab, at the extreme insistence of Nova who nearly pummeled the blue monkey to floor after turning Sparx into a rat accident.

For a long time, the book was forgotten, until the war reached a desperate stage.

One day, things were looking extremely bad on the battlefield. The Skeleton King's forces were brutally overwhelming their arms, and Chiro got the idea of using the Grimoire to help aid in their fight. Both Antauri and Gibson agreed that this sounded like a very bad idea.

Later, their predictions would be proven to be right.

At first, things seemed to go well. The Grimoire's magic instantly aided them in destroying Skeleton King's hordes.

But it didn't take the dark side long to figure out the new key to their success, and that's when Mandarin took charge.

Confident that nothing could harm them so long as the book was in their hands, the Monkey Team let down their guard, leaving them open for Mandarin's assault.

That night, the orange monkey snuck in, infiltrating the robot and sneaking into Gibson's lab. Quickly he grabbed the book and went to escape as his tail sent off an alarm.

The Hyperforce responded right away, cornering their former leader and chased him throughout the Robot, trying to get their hands on the Grimoire.

The tension reached its climax when Mandarin suddenly had Otto pinned under his claw. Gibson and the others were severely damaged and beaten as they were forced to listen to an exchange. Either give Mandarin back the book, which the Hyperforce had somehow managed to re-acquire during the fight, or else Otto dies by his hands.

"Alright Mandarin" said Chiro " we'll give you the book."

Gibson was shocked when Chiro moved forward to make the exchange. Mandarin grinned and released Otto from his claw, holding out his hands expectantly as Chiro slowly reached out the book towards him.

Once the exchange was complete, suddenly Antauri appeared, ghosting in straight through behind Mandarin and sliced the book apart with his claws. Now the secrets and spells of Grimoire were lost forever, and none could use them again.

Gibson grinned as the memory faded from his mind, and he looked over towards the paper bin that still held the scraps of the Grimoire.

Mandarin had been forced to flee that night, but who knows just how many spells he had learned.

Magic was a powerful force, and in the hands of evil, the consequences were always deadly.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Antauri's room, the silver monkey and Sparx were still locked in deep meditation, floating around in the astral plane where the Power Primate glowed.

The area around the two monkeys was dark, illuminated only by the bright green light that wreathed around their bodies.

Sparx could slowly feel himself relax, as all of his problems slipped by, one by one, whispered and faded away.

Antauri was right. Meditation did seem to be exactly what he needed. Even though he would never do this on a regular basis, it was nice to kind of forget his worries for the day.

However, that moment of peace didn't seem to last for long as something dark suddenly shot through Sparx's soul, making the red monkey's eyes snap awake.

Antauri's form was no longer floating with him in the dark, instead he been replaced by a ghoulish, orange glow. It swayed and flickered, looking very much like a flame. As Sparx stared, it took form before his eyes, turning into a horror Sparx wished he could erase from his past.

"No! No! Noo!"

Laughter echoed as the Fire of Hate burned. Darkness was calling him, and he was about to get swallowed by the blaze.


End file.
